Organisers of a major conference in Hong Kong on freedom of expression in China today (Wednesday) condemned a decision by the Hong Kong government to deny entry to a noted editor and to Danish sculptor Jens Galschiot, whose "Pillar of Shame" is a memorial to the victims of the Tiananmen Square massacre.

The organisers, including the Paris-based World Association of Newspapers, said that Zhang Yu, a Swedish-based editor and coordinator of the Writers in Prison Committee of the Independent Chinese PEN Centre, and Mr. Galschiot and two of his colleagues, were denied entry to Hong Kong to participate in the "One Dream: Free Expression in China" conference.

It was the third time that Mr. Zhang, who holds a valid Chinese passport, has been denied entry to his homeland since February 2007, based on an oral decision for "activism" allegedly endangering national security because of his PEN activities.

"To close Hong Kong's borders to people who were invited to participate in an international conference is further evidence that freedom of expression is under attack and discussion about China's policies is unwelcome," said Timothy Balding, CEO of WAN. "It also serves notice to those who believe that Hong Kong's freedoms will have a positive influence on China, or that 'engagement' with China will magically convince the authorities to change their practices."

The conference, from 30 April through 3 May, World Press Freedom Day, coincides with the Olympic Torch Relay through Hong Kong. (. . . )

China, which remains the world's biggest jailer of journalists, promised in its successful Olympic bid to ensure greater freedom of expression. Conference organisers called on the authorities to honour their commitments.

Despite new regulations promulgated last year to ease the stringent restrictions on news coverage in China, reporters continue to be deterred from exercising their rights. Telephone connections to reporters' sources have either been disconnected or the sources have been intimidated. There have been restrictions on travel and movement, as well as physical harassment.

The Paris-based WAN, the global organisation for the newspaper industry, defends and promotes press freedom and the professional and business interests of newspapers world-wide. Representing 18,000 newspapers, its membership includes 77 national newspaper associations, newspaper companies and individual newspaper executives in 102 countries, 12 news agencies and 11 regional and world-wide press groups.

More from Hong Kong (China)

The five Hong Kong booksellers who disappeared in late 2015 resurfaced early in the year, confirming that they had been in police custody on the mainland and issuing statements that raised suspicions of coercion.

A recent HKJA survey indicates a slight rise in the Hong Kong Press Freedom Index after two consecutive years of decline. Journalists on the ground believe that the situation has worsened in 2016, compared to the year before. HKJA chairperson Sham Yee-lan explained that the slight increase in the Press Freedom Index was likely to be related to the emergence of online media, which has led to some diversity in the industry.

Chinese authorities' enforced disappearance of critics from Hong Kong and other countries in 2016 garnered headlines globally. Beijing's decision to interfere in a politically charged court case in Hong Kong in November undermined judicial independence and the territory's autonomy. In the ethnic minority regions of Xinjiang and Tibet, Beijing continued its highly repressive rule, curtailing political activity and many peaceful expressions of ethnic and religious identity.

Five Hong Kong residents associated with a local publisher known for producing books that are critical of China’s leaders disappeared in late 2015 and were thought to be in the custody of mainland authorities, raising fears that Beijing had disregarded the territory’s laws and autonomy.

The year under review has been the darkest for press freedom for several decades, with the media coming under relentless assault from several directions. There have been attacks on journalists, sackings and personnel changes affecting critical personalities and the withdrawal of advertising, which places pressure on the editorial integrity of publications.

IFJ's report documents the continued deterioration of press freedoms in Mainland China, as well as Hong Kong and Macau. It takes its title in direct response to Chinese authorities adopting more repressive measures in 2013 reminiscent of the Mao era four decades ago, including direct censorship, Internet surveillance, abuse of legal process, harassment and intimidation, and televised confessions of journalists and bloggers without trial.

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